KARACHI: Former captain and batting legend Javed Miandad was on Saturday formally inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame. Pakistan Cricket Board’s chief executive Faisal Hasnain in this regard presented the 64-year-old superstar with a commemorative cap and plaque at the player’s residence in Karachi.
The right-handed maestro expressed his word of thanks on receiving the accolade.
“I feel humbled and honoured to have been inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame. It is appropriate that these inductions are taking place when an international cricketer [Prime Minister Imran Khan] is at the helm of Pakistan cricket affairs who understands better than anyone else the hard work and sacrifices a cricketer makes to reach to the top pedestal,” Miandad said.
“Every time I stepped on to the field of play, I wanted to contribute for my team and country through my performance. To make this happen, I developed my own training and preparation plans using innovative methods visualising the oppositions and conditions I would encounter. I am delighted my efforts produced good results and I was able to serve my team and country with performances that made us a proud cricketing nation,” Miandad added.
“One thing I did with great success throughout my career was to quickly forget my previous performance and switch focus towards the next challenge. Of course, I learned from the previous game into the next match and tried to improve, but I didn’t dwell on what I had achieved in the past matches.
“I was fortunate to always have had excellent and outstanding contemporaries who supported and encouraged me and I want to especially thank the people of Pakistan for their overwhelming support and love till date. This always remained my inspiration and motivation in the pursuit for excellence.”
Miandad was Pakistan cricket’s heartbeat from 1975 to 1996, during which he scored 16,213 international runs with 31 centuries in 357 matches. In a 402-match first-class career from 1973-74 to 1993-94, he scored 28,663 runs at an average of over 53 with 80 centuries and 139 half-centuries.
Miandad played in the 1975 World Cup as an 18-year-old and then went to participate in five more World Cups, winning the 1992 event in Australia under Imran Khan. In 33 World Cup matches, Miandad scored 1,083 runs at an average of over 43.
He scored a century (163) on Test debut in Lahore against New Zealand in 1976 and then smashed first of his six double-centuries (206) in the third Test in Karachi. In his 100th Test in Lahore in 1989, Miandad scored 145 to become only the second batter (other being Gordon Greenidge of West Indies) to score centuries in debut and 100th Test.
